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Praeterfactors
The Praeterfactors are a 19th Founding chapter of the Imperial Fists gene-stock. Generally looked down upon by most modern chapters for their disregard of the Codex Astartes and their unorthodox combat method. They are, however, known to be fanatically loyal to the Imperium and the Emperor, sometimes even to the point of extremism. History The Praeterfactors are a furiously active chapter, with at least 4 companies out on campaigns at all times. This has led to a long history of battles in the Emperor's name all across the galaxy. Notable Conflicts M37.889. Babylonia Ignis Campaign (Babylonia Incident) The Praeterfactors are sent to quell an uprising of citizens denying the existence of the Emperor. Their arrival is said to have brought about new zeal in the populace, but an entire Hive was cleansed in the coming slaughter. The Praeterfactors where chastised for this act. M37.894. Salaundih Slaughter The Praeterfactors are deployed to defeat a Greenskin Waaaagh! The shock assault tactics of the Praeterfactors turns out to their favor as the Greenskins fail in their attempts to catch the Space Marines in one place. The Praeterfactors are officially forgiven for the Babylonia Incident. M37.914. The Failure A company of the Praeterfactors are lost as a Space Hulk collides with the Battle Barge and ignites the two juggernauts Plasma Cores, destroying everything in close proximity and scouring a nearby Asteroid mining base clean of life. The Praeterfactors observe this as a punishment from the Emperor for their laxity. M37.915. Assault on Merida IV In the following days of the Space Hulk incident dubbed "The Failure", the Praeterfactors send all of their available companies on multiple pennance crusades. The 6th Company lands on the Dark Eldar infested Merida IV, cleansing the planet of their filth by letting the Xeno's have a taste of their own medicine as Land Speeders, Tactical Assault Squads and Thunderhawks destroys hordes of the aliens with rapid Shock and Awe strikes. M37.915. Scouring of Valen The 4th Company deploys its full force to the renegade planet of Valen. The desert planet is heavily fortified, and the company suffers heavy casualties. After two hard weeks of little to no progress, the 4th Company engages the Ground-to-Orbit batteries at high cost, and then withdraw to their Strike Cruisers. The Strike Cruisers proceed to destroy the planet with focused beams of Orbital Bombardment. M37.915. Holding of the Keep The Starfortress MTF6556354, designated as the Keep, is assaulted by Chaos forces. The 7th Company is at the time resupplying and a Chaos Warband came upon the seemingly easy target. The Strike Cruisers where scattered, but the Traitors were faced with grim opposition from the well armed Astartes, who drove them out with bolter and holy promethium. The Astartes managed to pave a way to the control chamber and take out the Warbands ships. M37.915. Defence of Avaktis The planet of Avaktis were under siege by Tau forces. The Praeterfactors 2nd and 3rd Company joins forces to push the Xeno's away. The battles are fierce and the collateral damage is extensive, with much of the population drafted into forced militas under the orders of Captain Incaradine. In the end, the battle is won, but most of the planet was left uninhabitable M37.915. To the depths On the planet of Enrangar V, the Imperial settlement was under attack by Greenskins. The Praeterfactors proceed to fight the Greenskins on the floating bastions, but are slowly loosing ground. In a desperate attempt, the Astartes send the whole settlement to the depths of the Aquatic World. As the water kills off all but the most heavily armed Greenskins, the Space Marines find themselves awaiting aid. However, something hostile awaits them in the depth in the form of an unknown Xeno of humongous size. The Marines fight it with all their power, fending off its vast tentacles. The captain leads two squads into the gaping mouth of the beast armed with Chainswords and melta-charges. Dying in the blast, the two squads manage to destroy the leviathan from inside out. M38.405. Purging of the Pretender An unknown Imperial planet is cast into a civil war between imperial Loyalists and renegades. The Loyalists don fake armor to make them appear as Space Marines, winning the war through deceit and fear. The Praeterfactors land on the planet and purge the people known to have donned the fake armor in anger over the mockery made of the Emperor's Chosen. M38.537. The 9th Black Crusade. The Praeterfactors partook in the 9th Black Crusade, holding off enemy warbands from a sector for enough time to evacuate the important resources. M39.835. The Cerean Cruicible The Praeterfactors contribute their 1st Company to the Cerean Cruicible, along with drafts of armored vehicles conscripted from the other companies. M41.999. The 13th Black Crusade The Praeterfactors partook in the 13th Black Crusade. Organisation Council of Captains The Praeterfactors have shunned the rank of Chapter Master for a council of captains. This allows all companies to act individually, with a holographic chamber where the captains "meet" on their homeworld, operated by a Chapter Serf. Company Organisation Each Company is designed to be as a 100-man Chapter in itself, equipped with armored divisions, specialist ranks and a Battle Barge. As such, there is no mechanised company or assault company. Everything is divided equally. Curatrix Primicerius The Honor Guard of the Captains, the Curatrix Primicerius, are hand-picked champions of the Company, often numbering only two to four at any time. These never leave the captains side, and are, in themselves, organized after duties. The Decetrator forms the role of Company champion, possibly the only member of the company who can rival the Captain in battle. These use any and all weapons they so desire in their purpose to face the mightiest foes. The Irritator carries the Company Banner and has amplified vox casters on his backpack. He shouts out excerpts of the company history, inspiring his brothers to greater feats of glory. The Tuitor is the third and last rank of the Curatrix Primicerius, and are those most commonly seen in pairs. Like the Decetrator, they have access to all the company's weaponry, but rather than taking the fight to the enemy, it is his duty to protect the Captain and Irritator from harm. As such, many Tuitor's heft large Storm Shields with opening to allow the brother to steady any weapon. In some companies, the two work together, one hefting the shield and another hefting a heavy weapon. Combat Doctrine The Praeterfactors favor fast-assault strikes, and as such they have a unique rank called the Tactical Assault Squad. This replaces their standard Tactical squads, but the difference is only the lack of heavy weapons and the addition of Jump Packs. These squads are meant to optimise the rapid response tactics of the Praeterfactors. The Praeterfactors have a preference for engaging in close combat with foes that borders on obsession, using Jump Packs and Bikes to close the distance with the foe. More than anything, the Praeterfactors are survivors. Squads are often very shallowly held together, and it is not unusual to see Praeterfactors go in 2-to-10 man squads as befits their own style. This means that, as every Praeterfactor is trained equally, there is no apparent repercussions in leadership should the "leader" of the squad fall. Arcem Puritatis The mighty citadel that covers the northern pole of the Chapters Homeworld is the Arcem Puritatis, or the Citadel of Faith. A place where the faithful go to take cover in the times of war, the citadel is covered in rows upon rows of laser-cannon batteries and even some Lance batteries. On the ground approach, the metal floor of the pole is covered in rows upon rows of Heavy Bolters, Autocannons, Heavy Flamers and Multi Meltas. Any foe attempting to conquer the planet has to conquer the Arcem Puritatis, something as of yet unheard of. The citadel draws power from the entire planet and it's core in times of war to fuel its thousands upon thousands of batteries. Chapter Recruitment The neophytes who are accepted for recruitment are put through grueling tests on the various planets of the Valaton system to show how tough they are. When initiated, they are added as Auxillias to the company. an Auxillia squad is commanded by a Sternguard brother, and they are all equipted to deal with the situation at hand. Chapter Armories and Weaponry The Praeterfactors focus, more than anything, on independent survivability. Every Brother is given molecular bonding studs to patch his armor up with fallen pieces of armor. While most of the equipment is repaired afterwards, many battle brothers have the pieces of scrap bound to their armor, either as trophies or in memory of a fallen Brother. As such, the Praeterfactors fear factor is increased as they go into battle looking like scrapheap nightmares. A common occurrence in the chapter is bolters using drum mags or ammo-belts rather than the standard sickle-shaped magazines common to most Space Marines due to their tendency to close with the foe as quickly as possible, as it means the marines need to reload less frequently while on the run, suppressing the foe while they close the distance. The bolters are also often of a more ancient design than those currently in use, as much of the chapters weaponry is recovered from fallen brothers after a battle. As such, it is not unusual to find marines hefting large Umbra pattern bolters older than the marines themselves. The Praeterfactors use many unorthodox weapons, some seeming brute and unnecessary. A common weapon to find is the Power Whip, for to use it is a true show of skill, as the devastating crackling cable is just as likely to slash up the wielder or his brothers behind him if he is not skilled in its use, while another common occurrence is the usage of chainaxes, a weapon mostly fallen out of practice with the majority of the Adeptus Astartes of the 41st Millennia. In addition, all battle brothers are given mono-molecular weaponry. While these blades can take the form of axe, cleaver, falchion or sword, one thing that all have in common is their wicked looking edges, jagged with curved metal teeth. A common, although not standard, version of combat blade is a configuration of punching dagger, much alike the Katar of ancient Terra, where the blade of the combat blade protrudes from the knuckles, allowing for more powerful stabbing attacks where the marine can use his full strength in a punch. It does, however, reveal a flaw in defence as it is not easy to block an attack and it must constantly be parried and deflected, meaning the brother must move out of the way. If anything is proof of the brutal ways at which the Praeterfactors engage in combat is the adamantium hooks they mount on their gauntlets. These can be short and appear as talons on the knuckles, tearing chunks of flesh from the opponent with ripping strikes, or take the form of a single, 1 foot long hook, capable of locking a foe in place. A brutal use of this weapon is often used on foes without protection for their head, where the Praeterfactor wrestle them down onto their stomach, before shoving the hook into the roof of the foes mouth and viciously rip loose the skull and, sometimes, spinal cord from the body. Chapter Relics Flamewrought The fiery sword of the First Captain, this Relic Blade has a blade unadorned, for when it blazes to life, there is nothing to see in it but the fire that will burn the mutant, the heretic and the alien alike. Blade of the Obsidian Skulls The Blade of the Obsidian Skulls is a large relic blade wielded by High Chaplain and Reclusiarch Grimalur. The hilt of the blade is adorned with two onyx skulls etched with prayers to Dorn and the Emperor. The writing is so miniscule it is impossible to read without magnification, but the High Chaplain knows every word, ever letter, every dot fluently. In battle, the blade is extremely light for its large size, barely proving any difficulty in use, and it also acts as an inspiration to the fellow brothers of the Praetefactors. The Imperial Lance A relic blade in the odd shape of a lance, this relic is carried by the 5th Company Captain Ithzillien Samarus. When on ceremonial duty, the captain often gets the joke title "The Knight in shining armor", but in battle, the weapon is devastating in the hands of a master. The edge is powered and honed, and can stab and cut through even the most resilient armor, while the full length of the lance is powered to the extent that it is far from harmless to be hit by it. Gladius of Dorn While not actually a blade belonging to the Primarch, the Gladius of Dorn is a surprisingly long combat blade, and should be classified as a spatha. However, the Praeterfactors refuse to bow to designations and hold true to calling it a gladius. Currently wielded by the chapters High Librarian, Salmanugian has stated that, while the blade in itself is not a powerful thing, his powers and his belief in the emperor empowers it to post-artificier degree. A large golden fist at the end of the blade allows for more control of the blades swings. Chapter Traditions The Praeterfactors have shunned most of the common Imperial Decorative wargear and care little for aestetics, as showin in their near-colorless armor with brass trimmings. A normal sight seen amongst higher ranking veterans, sergeants and Captains are long cloaks of Chainmail, never long enough to hinder the Astartes movement but seldom shorter than to the knee's in length. However, since the death and failure of 1st Company Captain Belthamor Rask, the most outspoken critic of the ornamental armors of his other brother chapters, it has become a more common sight for captains to wear armor with large iron or steel Imperialis' on them. Purity seals often replace common cloth aditions, and it is not unusual to find brothers draped in long cloaks forming a purity seal. The scarifications that the Imperial Fists and their successor chapters so often employ are notoriously absent from the Praeterfactors. For indeed, the Praeterfactors believe themselves to be exactly what the Emperor and Dorn wished of them to be, and that failure must be punished worse than simply pain. If there is no immediate need for all Astartes, these Astartes will be bathed in the holy promethium and spend a long time in the apothecary, being treated for their burns. This act is called the Sancti Pretium and involved a Chaplain, often the High Chaplain himself, burning the Astartes with a non-promethium fueled flamer. Feast of Blades The Praeterfactors, being sons of Dorn no matter how little their brother chapters wish to admit it, participate in the Feast of Blades when invited. In battle, the Praeterfactors do not mind fighting dirty, and in the rare event that it turns into a three-way duel, which seem much more common when the Praeterfactors are there, it is not uncommon to see the ghastly pale-skinned warriors of the chapter stalk around, waiting for the victor to emerge before striking. The Praeterfactors won the Feast of Blades and the honor of guarding the Dornsblade once during the 38th Millennia. They have not since won, but have come close to winning several times. The Arena The Praeterfactors maintain a gladiatorial arena aboard all their ships where their battle brothers square off. It can be as a result of an insult, a feud, or simply to train, for the Praeterfactors shun the use of training cages. These battles are almost always performed without power armor or, in fact, any armor other than a loin cloth and greaves. There are no real pattern in the weaponry used, but the most brutal and rare ones seem to be popular, as if the arena is a place to test out weaponry. Chapter Genetic Mutation The Praeterfactors inherit the faults of their father-chapter, the Imperial Fists. As such, the Betcher's Gland and Catalapsean Node does not work, and means the marine cannot enter a Sus-An coma or spit the acid to digest even the hardest of material. More thanks to their homeworlds distance from the sun than anything else, the warriors of the Praeterfactors are often pale-skinned, sometimes to the point of being the color of ash or a sickly yellow-greenish color. A recurring hair color is the snow white of the Primarch, but it is not unusual at all to find brothers of different hair color. Chapter Fleet Battle Barge Primarch's Prodigy: The Primarch's Prodigy is the Chapter Flagship and the mightiest vessel in the fleet. Strike Cruiser Dornspear: The Dornspear is the 5th Company flagship, often flanked by it's sister craft, the Mace of Valaton and the Imperial Reason Strike Cruiser Mace of Valaton: The Mace of Valaton is a 5th Company Strike Cruiser and an escort to the Dornspear Strike Cruiser Imperial Reason: The Imperial Reason is a 5th Company Strike Cruiser and an escort to the Dornspear Strike Cruiser Dorn's Herald: The Strike Cruiser Dorn's Herald was a Strike Cruiser taking part in the unnamed Campaign against the Chaos Warband the Star Wolves. It was one of the first ships destroyed by a near unending volley of laser and torpedo batteries. Appearance and Badge The Praeterfactors are clad in armor of boltgun metallic color with brass trimmings and decorations. The chapter badge is a green eagle's head filled with serrated teeth. Homeworld The Praeterfactors have control of an entire system of planets, with one Hive World to draw tithes from, one Feral world to draw their recruits from, and one barren planet which the Praeterfactors have made their home-base ''Valaton'' Star The Valaton star is a yellow star, much like Terra's own, only slightly bigger in radius. Valaton Primus Valaton Primus is the Hive planet of the Valaton system. Containing massive foundries that churn out everything from everyday hardware tools to Astartes armament, it is the main attraction and source of income for the Valaton system. The Praeterfactors chaplains go onto "pilgrimages" to Valaton Primus every century to inspire the people to work harder or to keep their faith in the Emperor at its most. In rare cases, the Chaplains will discover a young man who is fitting for becoming an Astartes. While officially there is no distinction, it is not unknown that, early on, the brother-neophytes might be harassed as "Hivers". Interresting is how the Hivers have a tendency to go far in the Chapter thanks to their more rational approach to warfare. Valaton Primus is almost precisely at the same distance from its sun as Terra is, making it slightly hotter as the star is bigger than Sol Valaton Secundus Valaton Secundus is the second of the three-planet system and a Feral world, from where the Praeterfactors take their recruits. The people of Valaton Secundus are masters of survival, fighting every day of their lives. However, young Valatires, as their people are called, have a tendency to be slow to embrace the ranged warfare of the Astartes and have a tendency to charge at their foe, possibly from the feeling of immortality their new bodies have provided them. Valaton Secundus is further away than Valaton Primus to the Valaton star, leading to much colder nights. The creatures living there have developed either thick chitin or strong fur. No creature is still cold-blooded as it has been worked away by the evolutionary cycle. The planet is generally barren, with a short season where crops can bloom. As such, farming is discontinued and the people live a life of hunter and gatherer. Valaton Tertius Valaton Tertius is the smallest planet of the entire system, and its distance to its sun means it slingshots around its sun each year. Valaton Tertius solar cycle is roughly 8 Terran years, where 4 are spent in a post-human warm climate and the 3 in a freezing cold. It is only habitable during 1 Terran year, when it has started moving away from its star. The Praeterfactors has made this planet their home, the rough climate and rocky terrain excellent for training exercises. The entire planet is covered in orbital defence weaponry and space ports to receive the tithes of ammunition from the manufactoriums on Valaton Primus. Stretching underneath the surface is the Praetefactors fortress-monastery, a huge subterranean complex emphasising the survival ways, and many wings in the Fortress-Monastery is in fact copies of already existing wings, to ensure it is near impossible to capture, for example, all armories or all apothecariums at once. Relations The Praeterfactors is highly disliked by many of the more humane chapters, such as the Salamanders, for their, not only lack of care for any collateral damage, but also for their tendencies to use the civilians of a world as cannon fodder. However, they are much liked by the Ecclesiarchy for their unyielding faith in the God Emperor, and as such it is not unusual for the Ecclesiarchy to call for aid from the Praeterfactors, and at such times, there commences often a combined campaign between Astartes and the holy members of the Adeptus Sororitas military arm, the Sisters of Battle Rivals The Praeterfactors have many foes throughout the galaxy, but three are classed above and beyond the others. Star Wolves : The Star Wolves Traitor Warband are designated by the Praeterfactors as a blight on their honor and forces from the Star Wolves are always seen as a number-one priority. More than anyone, the 5th Company holds a grudge for a certain campaign where several squads of battle-brothers were lost. Salamanders: The Praeterfactors ignorance of collateral damage has led them to be viewed in anger by the Salamanders. At one point during the 13th Black Crusade, two companies almost came to blows, only avoiding it thanks to the fact that they stood at an impasse, where the heavy weapons of the Salamanders provided an effective counter to the Jump-pack wearing Praeterfactors and vice versa. Notable Praeterfactors First Captain Odomeus The current First Captain and the considered the greatest of the Praeterfactors to this date. A charismatic man beyond compare, an excellent tactician and a masterful swordsman, Vairosian Odomeus has rightfully earned the title of First Captain and Master of the Relics. A man who always looks at the big picture, and seldom does anything without thinking through all possible opportunities. While an outstanding swordsman, he is not a common sight on the battlefield, as he prefers to remain where he can have full check on the battle. To face Odomeus in battle, however, is an assurance that all else is going well for the opponent, as well as knowing you have been marked as highly special. High Chaplain Grimalur Vessek Grimalur is a Chaplain of great renown for his zeal and combat ability. In battle, Grimalur has shunned the use of his Crozius Arcanum for a great two-handed relic sword. In battle, any battle brother who can spot the towering Chaplain will rise to his unspoken challenge, but to this day, no brother can match his kill-counts. Captain Samarus 5th Company Captain Ithzillien Samarus is the current captain of the 5th Company and bears the title "The Warmachine" for his battle-prowess. He is known to have wrestled with a Daemonhost Astartes and bested it single-handedly, tearing the fused helmet and head from the body in a grizzly display of his power. After the encounter and battle between High Chaplain Grimalur and the Chaos Lord Meinuthek Silvertooth, Captain Samarus took up a personal vow to hunt down the chaos lord alongside the Chaplain. As such, Grimalur is often seen with the 5th Company, and has given the company the nickname "The Falconeers" and many Tactical Assault Squads adorn their Jump Packs with wings. High Librarian Salmanugian Isalador Salmanugian is the Praeterfactors most powerful librarian and the only one who can rival apothecary Teutatis service record at 894 years. Salmanugian is extremely powerful when it comes to bending a planet to his will, his psychic powers manifesting in great earthquakes and rifts. He is also potent when using his powers in telekinesis, having been able to keep a good position for the 3rd captain and his retinue over the battlefield by levitating a large chunk of rock above the earth. Apothecary Teutatis Apothecary Ignus Teutatis is the oldest living Praeterfactor, over 900 years old. He is also the most skilled Apothecary in the chapter, but will never become the High Apothecary for his general divergence of the chapter survivalistic ways. What marks out Teutatis is his, albeit temporary, love for his patients. While an Astartes takes priority, Teutatis treats all allies on the battlefield equally, whether they might be Praeterfactors or of another chapter, or indeed even a mere guardsman. He distinguished himself during the defence of a planet where he refused to leave his field-medicae until his patients could be evacuated, holding off several of the foe with a Melta gun and the Heavy Bolter of one of his patients. Sergeant Veselus 5th Company Veteran Sergeant Oevuhr Veselus gained fame during the 13th Black Crusade where he fought, and bested, a Khorne Berzerker in single combat. While many could say his use of a close-quarter flamer burst led to his victory, he, as well as his company, hold onto the belief that it was his mastery with his mono-blade. Captain Incaradine 2nd Company Captain Lucius Incaradine lived a long and glorious life to the point of becoming 900 years old, and his armor is said to have looked less like a Mk VII pattern armor and more like a large set of scrap-armor. Captain Belthamor Rask Belthamor Rask was the Captain of the Praeterfactor's 1st Company near the end of M39. Rask was most notable for participating in the conflict known as the Cerean Crucible. During the war Belthamor was particularly adamant about slaying the Brotherhood's Goliath warriors. He Died at the hands of the Goliath command Armannon, and as a result was stricken from his Chapter's annals for losing in personal combat to a "Knock-off Astartes". Quotes By: About: Category:Imperial Fists Successors Category:Imperium Category:Space Marine Chapters Category:Space Marines Category:19th Founding Category:Legionaire22